Jiuxi

Chapter 557 Chapter 555 [Chaotian Tower] ()
Yongqiu City returned to the hands of Jing's army, but the war did not cease.

Qing Yugong sent 20,000 infantry to take over the city defense, while the rest of the army was stationed in the camp in the north of the city, so as to act as horns for each other.

The Qi army was divided into two parts. The Jingzhou army that withdrew from Yongqiu and the Beijing army brought by Liu Shouguang totaled more than 40,000 people and were stationed at Baima Pass. The army led by Lu Chen and Xiao Wangzhi stayed for more than ten people east of Yongqiu. Liguan Town inside and outside.

As the five thousand cavalry led by Wu Linda withdrew from Yujia Town to Yongqiu, tens of thousands of reinforcements from the eastern front who had previously established a suspicious formation in the Xichuan area also came to Liguan Town to join the army.

The two armies observed each other, remained calm and self-possessed, and did not directly engage in head-on conflict.

Everyone knows that in the current situation, once the two sides start a war, it will be a decisive battle to determine the ownership of Jiangbei.

In this area with a radius of dozens of miles, Qi Jingyouqi competed for supremacy, wandering across the vast land, trying to find out each other's intelligence.

The storm is coming, the war is coming, and the atmosphere is becoming more solemn.

The officers and soldiers of the Qi army maintained high morale. Whether it was the Eastern Route Army that achieved a great victory at the foot of Luwu Mountain, or the West Route Army that cooperated sincerely outside Yongqiu City, there were endless instances of bravery to fight.

Especially when more than a thousand cavalry arrived at Baima Pass, the soldiers guarding the gate clearly saw the two flags in front of them, and they unanimously gave out earth-shattering cheers.

Xiao, the Duke of Rongguo in Daqi, and Lu, the Marquis of Shanyang in Daqi.

The door was closed, and more than a thousand riders walked straight in.

After only walking more than ten feet, the sergeant in the front row reined in the reins and stopped. Then Xiao Wangzhi, Lu Chen and other generals dismounted and walked quickly forward.

On the long street, a thin middle-aged man with a smile led a group of military generals to greet him.

As the two groups of people came together, continuous shouts and cheers erupted in the pass again.

The middle-aged man was the first to salute solemnly: "Greetings, brother."

Xiao Wangzhi stretched out his hands to hold his wrist, his tone trembling slightly: "I haven't seen you in ten years, you..."

Memories came flooding back.

Thirty years ago, he and the middle-aged man in front of him joined the army at the same time, following Yang Guangyuan to defend the Jinghe line of defense and keeping the ferocious enemies from the north out of the country.

They were young at that time, in their prime and full of ambition.

Twenty years ago, Yang Guangyuan was framed and persecuted. They were filled with anger but could do nothing.

One was forced to stay at home at a young age, and the other was proficient in the art of war but could only train quietly in Huaizhou, which was far away from the frontier at that time.

Fifteen years ago, Heluo fell, landslides and ground cracked, and tens of millions of people in the north of the Yangtze River were ravaged by Jing's cavalry.

They stepped forward to turn the tide from collapse, support the building from falling, and built a strong defense line in Jingzhou and Huaizhou to block Jing's army from going south.

The last time we met was ten years ago.

That was the only time they returned to Jiangnan Capital at the same time to report on their duties.

At that time, Li Tianrun was promoted to the governor of Jingzhou because of the Mengshan victory, and Xiao Wangzhi was also promoted to the governor of Huaizhou because of his meritorious service in defending the territory.

I still remember that when they were leaving, they looked north at the Chunfeng Pavilion in the northern suburbs of the capital, reminiscing about the past and looking to the future, saying goodbye to each other, and then set foot on the land of Jiangbei, devoting their efforts to guarding the borders of Daqi.

To this day, we can finally meet again.

Looking at the thin cheeks of the middle-aged man in front of him, Xiao Wangzhi remembered that he was several years younger than himself, but already so old and frail. He felt sad for a moment, which overshadowed the joy of reunion after the victory.

Li Tianrun felt his slightly trembling hands, then turned to pat the back of his hand a few times, and said comfortingly: "Brother, birth, old age, illness and death are common things. I thought I would never see him again in this life, but now that we can meet again, I have no regrets in my heart."

On the long street, stars gather.

However, whether they are rising stars like Lu Chen and Li Bingxue or veterans like Liu Shouguang, they are all looking at the two middle-aged men standing arm in arm quietly at this moment, feeling the surging feelings for home and country between them in silence.

Xiao Wangzhi forced down the surging thoughts in his heart and forced a smile: "Thank you for your hard work."

Li Tianrun shook his head and said softly: "Brother, do you still remember what you and I said when we parted ten years ago?"

Thirty fame, dust and soil, eight thousand miles, clouds and moon.

Don't wait idly, your youth will be wasted.

Now that the snow has fallen on their heads and the mountains are green, luckily all their enthusiasm was not in vain, and Da Qi finally had the confidence to compete head-on with the powerful enemy in the north.

Xiao Wangzhi looked around after hearing this, looking at the faces of Lu Chen, Li Bingxue, Liu Shouguang, Qiu Jixun, Zhang Zhan, Pei Sui, Kang Yanxiao, He Gui and others in turn. The young or vicissitudes of their faces were filled with the same emotion. kind of emotion.

Dare to fight, be able to fight, and be good at fighting!
The sadness when they first met gradually receded, Xiao Wangzhi nodded and said: "I won't dare or forget it in one day."

Li Tianrun laughed: "The same goes for my brother."

After the brief welcome ceremony, the generals temporarily went to the arranged residence to rest, while Xiao Wangzhi, Lu Chen and Liu Shouguang followed Li Tianrun to the Festival Hall of the Commander's Mansion. There was no one else here, only Li Bingxue was waiting beside Li Tianrun.

Everyone first exchanged the details of the previous war, and Li Tianrun then said: "Brother, what do you think of the next war?"

For Qi Jun, the current situation is much stronger than initially expected.

Although the northern part of Dingzhou fell into the hands of the Jing army and Yongqiu was taken back by the Jing army, the morale of the Qi army was not affected in any way.

On the contrary, relying on the Battle of Shiquan, the Battle of Cuiting, the Battle of Luwu Mountain and the Battle of Yongqiu not long ago, the Qi army caused considerable casualties to the arrogant Jing army. In particular, Xiao Wangzhi and Lu Chen cooperated tacitly at the foot of Luwu Mountain and strangled 20,000 of Jingdi's personal soldiers in one battle, which dealt a severe blow to the arrogance of the Jing army.

After that, these two men led the troops to pursue them all the way. More than 30,000 Jing's troops were defeated in a row. They did not stabilize their position until more than 40 miles northeast of Yongqiu, and lost another six to seven thousand soldiers and horses on the way.

If the war ends here and the two sides return to a stalemate, the Qi army can fully call it a worthy battle, shattering the Jing army's plan to retake the land of Jiangbei in the first battle.

Xiao Wangzhi knew this very well, and he pondered: "Judging from Qing Yugong's reaction when you led the army out of the city that day, it seems that Marshal Jingjun also wants to take it easy?"

Li Tianrun agreed: "Emperor Jing really wanted Qing Yugong's main force to fight with our army and both sides would lose. It is impossible for Qing Yugong not to see this. Once Qing Yugong's power is too weakened, Qing Yugong's ability to protect himself will be If the situation is greatly reduced, even if Emperor Jing does not kill them all, the other Jinglian nobles will not let go of the Qing Yu family. It can be seen that Qing Yu Gong will definitely be cautious. "

"But Emperor Jing will not sit back and watch Qing Yugong continue to work without contributing."

Lu Chen interrupted at the right time.

Li Tianrun and Xiao Wangzhi looked at each other and nodded at the same time.

War has always been a continuation of politics. This is not only a fight between the two countries, but also a manifestation of the conflict between the major forces within the dynasty.

Lu Chen continued: "If it hadn't been for the tragic defeat at the foot of Luwu Mountain, Qing Yugong might have been able to stick to his idea, but Emperor Jing's 20,000-strong army was wiped out. At this time, if Qing Yugong continued to stand still, Emperor Jing would have enough reasons to lift the order. His military power. Whether Qing Yugong did it intentionally or he did not expect the sudden change of our army, it is an undisputed fact that he, as the commander of Jingjun, must bear this responsibility."

Li Bingxue stood behind her father, looking at the calm Lu Chen, with a faint smile on her face.

Li Tianrun felt something in his heart for a moment.

Three years ago in Ganghwa City, the young people in front of me were still very immature. Although they had begun to show their military talents, their thinking was still not comprehensive enough.

But now that his growth is visible to the naked eye, he can no longer look at it as a simple young man, so he smiled and said: "In other words, the next war is inevitable?"

Before Lu Chen could speak, Liu Shouguang said: "Captain Li, I agree with Marquis Lu. Although Jing's army suffered a defeat at the foot of Luwu Mountain, it has not yet reached the point of breaking out. At present, there are still nearly ten troops in the two places. Thousands of people. Under the pressure of Emperor Jing, Qing Yugong could have sent his army south, or crossed the Leize Plain to invade the southern part of Dingzhou."

The chief military minister performed well during the previous rush to Yongqiu, which at least created an opportunity for the defenders in the city to take the initiative.

Furthermore, given his status and the emperor's trust in him, he was fully qualified to participate in this small-scale military discussion.

Seeing that he expressed his opinion, Lu Chen nodded slightly in greeting.

Li Tianrun thought for a moment, then turned to Xiao Wangzhi and said, "Brother, our army's morale is at its best, so we might as well fight."

Xiao Wangzhi considered: "Your body..."

Li Tianrun smiled and said: "It is natural for my brother to take charge of the overall situation in this battle. My foolish brother is not trying to be lazy, but he is just too weak."

It can be seen from his thin face and pale expression that he had spent too much effort in dealing with Qing Yugong in Yongqiu.

It is very important to clarify the command authority. After all, the Qi army near Yongqiu has many subordinates at the moment, and it is necessary to avoid the situation of fighting independently.

Li Tianrun took the initiative to speak, and it was natural for Xiao Wangzhi to take over the command. Lu Chen and Liu Shouguang had no objections.

After a brief silence, Xiao Wangzhi said slowly: "I suggest that Lu Chen be responsible for commanding the overall situation, and Mr. Liu and I will assist from the side."

Li Tianrun looked into his eyes and did not immediately raise any objection.

Liu Shouguang looked calm. It was obvious that Lu Chen's performance during the chaos in the capital had won his respect.

Lu Chen knew it was not the time to be pretentious, but he was still a little surprised and whispered: "Uncle Xiao?"

Xiao Wangzhi turned to look at him, smiled slightly and said: "After this battle, Brother Li Xian must return to Jiangnan to recuperate, and I will most likely be recalled to the capital by His Majesty. In the future, only you and Mr. Liu will take over the military affairs in Jiangbei. Right now This is an opportunity for you to adapt to the enemy's strength in advance. Don't worry, Mr. Liu and I will not stand by and look around. "

He paused for a moment and asked Liu Shouguang, "What do you think, Mr. Liu?"

Liu Shouguang cupped his hands and said, "Before I left the capital, Your Majesty personally told me that when I came to Jiangbei, I would obey the Duke's orders."

Xiao Wangzhi nodded, and then looked at Lu Chen expectantly.

"I will do my best and never let Da Qi down!"

Lu Chen didn't hesitate anymore, stood up and saluted everyone.

(End of this chapter)